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<h1 align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – February 24, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;color:black">Baylor T&F Sprints Squads Make History on Day One of Big 12 Indoor Championships</span></b><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color:black">Men in seventh, women in eighth after first day of postseason<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">For more information contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Colin Pirtle; 940-564-0351, </span><a href="mailto:colin_pirtle1@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">colin_pirtle1@baylor.edu</span></a><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">LUBBOCK, Texas. –</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> Baylor track and field completed the first day of competition at the Big 12
Indoor Championships. Five Bears won All-Big 12 honors from their top-8 finishes on the day, and one set a new program record in the preliminary round.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Mariah Ayers stormed out of the start in the women’s 200 meters to put up a 22.76 for the Baylor program record. The senior is only the second Bear to cross the 22-second
barrier in Baylor indoor track and field history and the first to do so since Tiffany Townsend in 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">It was a big day for the men’s 400-meter dash squad, as all four advanced to the finals and two set program top-10 marks. Matthew Moorer led the Bear pack in 45.84 to find
spot No. 5 all-time in program history, just before Nathaniel Ezekiel raced a 45.90 to tie for seventh all-time and finish second. Hasani Barr finished fifth in the race with a 46.12 and Dillon Bedell caught the last qualifying spot in eighth with a 46.34.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Demar Francis had a quick race in the 200 meters, crossing the finish line at the 22.55-second mark for third overall, a mark that moves him to second at BU behind Trayvon
Bromell. Moorer also advanced to the finals in the 200, after a 20.76-second performance in the prelims.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">The Bears received their first point of the meet behind Gary Moore Jr.’s seventh-place performance in the weight throw. The freshman threw for 63-10 ½ in the first championship
meet of his collegiate career. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Annamaria Kostarellis was right behind with another five points for the Bears after finishing fourth in the 5,000 with a time of 16:25.70.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">The 60-meter hurdles advanced both Bears, with Elijah Morris in the men’s race and Simone Ballard in the women’s. Morris’ 7.87 earned him third in his heat to automatically
move on, while Ballard put up an 8.34 for a new PR and sixth overall.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">The men’s distance medley relay closed the night finishing sixth, with Ryan Day making up ground in the anchor leg of the event. Ryan Hodge, Drew Snyder and Nicholi Brown
joined Day to run a 9:55.07.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">The long jump saw Koi Johnson finish sixth with a PB of 20-0 ½. Alexis Brown finished the event in 13<sup>th</sup>, Keviah Ealy in 14<sup>th</sup> and Alexandra Rutenis in
16<sup>th</sup>. In the men’s event, Aren Spencer put up a 22-8 ½ and ended in 14<sup>th</sup>.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Ben Conacher earned another Big 12 medal in his career with the Bears on Friday, taking fifth place after he successfully cleared 17-5 ¾.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Lily Williams notched the second-fastest time of the day in the 600 yards with a new personal-best of 1:19.95. Her final, and a chance at the Big 12 Indoor Championship,
will be Saturday at 3:10 p.m.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Imaobong Uko and Kavia Francis advanced to the 400-meter finals on Friday, with Uko winning her heat in 53.20 seconds, while Francis finished second in her heat in 53.45
seconds. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Nicholi Brown was the first man out of the 600-yard finals, crossing the line in 1:10.98, just 17-hundredths behind eighth place.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Kamden Jackson matched his previous PR in the 60-meter dash of 6.66 set on the Texas Tech track in 2021 to finish as the first runner out of the finals, just ahead of De’montray
Callis who crossed with a 6.68 in 11<sup>th</sup>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Twelfth place was the highest finish for the Bears in the 60, with Michaela Francois leading the pack at 7.38. Bria Bullard was just behind, finishing 14<sup>th</sup> in
7.38, followed by Summer Sergeant in 21<sup>st</sup>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">QUOTABLE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Head coach Michael Ford<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">“Overall, the team competed hard and I have to give big congrats to the All-Big 12 athletes that won medals today. We’ve had ups and downs this season, both of which we also
had today. Going into it we knew that the 400 and 200 would be big for our team, and they all ran well. It’s super impressive to enter four guys and have four guys advance to the finals with PRs. I just thought we competed really well today and have to do
it again tomorrow. Today was going to be hard, but we got through it and did really well.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">WHAT’S NEXT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">The Bears return to the Sports Performance Center for Day Two of the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships. The multi events begin at 11 a.m., followed by field events
at 1 and running events at 2. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">- BaylorBears<span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color:black;text-decoration:none">.com</span></span><span style="color:black">
-<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">_________________________________________</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#073D1E">Colin Pirtle</span></b><span style="color:#073D1E"> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">| Associate Director of Athletics Communications (T&F, XC, MTEN) </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">Department of Athletics | Baylor University</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">C: 940-564-0351</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:3.0pt;color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://baylorbears.com/" title="http://baylorbears.com/"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="160" height="44" style="width:1.6666in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D9489C.3A2399D0" alt="signature_2230589939"></span></a><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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